Carrier for pneumatic tubes.



Patented Sept. 4, I900.

B. C. BATCHELLER.

CARRIER FDR PNEUMATIC TUBES (Application filed June 16 1888A E. FL-

Wineddeo:

r'rnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARRIER FOR PNEUMATIC TUBES.

$PEG1'FICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,076, dated September 4, 1900. Application filed June 16, 1898. Serial No. 683,549. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that LBIRNEY C. BATOHELLER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Carriers for Pneumatic Tubes, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to the construction of carriers for pneumatic tubes, having for its object to provide a carrier of simple and efficient construction and in which particular provision is made, first, for the tight closing of the carrier so as to exclude water; second, for an effective and secure attachment of an electrical contact-plate to the carrier; third, for the provision of a lid or door constructed so as to form a tight joint with the carrier when closed and at the same time to leave the charging end of the carrier unobstructed when opened, and, fourth, I aim to provide asimple and effective locking device for the lid of such characteras to insure the proper locking of the lid to the carrier-body before it is inserted in the tube.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings in which they are illustrated, and in which-- Figure l is a side sectional elevation of a carrierprovided with myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a view of the lid end of the carrier, showing the lid in and locked to place. Fig. 3 is a view of the front end of thecarrier. Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of the socketpiece used in connection with the front end of the carrier. Fig. 5 is a similar sectional elevation taken at right angles to the section shown in Fig. at. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the plate-latching device used in connection with the socket-piece. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the contact-plate, andFig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken as on the line so a; of'Fig. 5.

A indicates the side walls of the carrier, which is conveniently made of sheet metal.

13 B are the contact-rings, secured around the walls of the carrier. 7

O is-a conical seat secured on the inside of the rear end of the carrier.

' As shown, D is a block secured by rivets to the walls of the carrier inside of the seat Oand serving to support the hinge E, to which is attached a hinge-bar E, connected at its outer end by another hinge E with the lid or cover indicated at F and which is preferably made with outwardly flaring conical walls (indicated at F) and terminating in an outwardly-turned flange F adapted to extend to the walls of the carrier.

F is an annular plate secured on the inside of the lid F and serving, in connection with the flange F to support and secure in place a packing-ring G, which fits against the conical seat 0 of the carrier-body.

H is a pivot-pin secured eccentrically to the lid F, so as to turn therein, and having attached to it, as shown, an eccentric I, which fits in a slot J, formed in the outer end of a plate J, which plate is pivoted at or near the center of the lid on a pin K, and has pivotally attached to it at points L L, &c., substantially equidistantfrom the pin K, locking-bolts M M, &c., which extend through the wall F of the li d,in which perforations f are formed for that purpose, into convenient corresponding recesses formed in the seat 0.

H is a handle preferably formed of a springplate and secured to the pin H, as shown, in such a Way that when it is turned to a-positiou in which its outer end lies within the territory of the carrier the bolt M will be shot and preferably the outer end of the handle sprung down, so that it will lie inside of the walls F" of the lid.

It will be noticed that in this construction the double-hinged connection of the lid and carrier-body is such as will enable the lid to be moved when opened, so as to leave the open end of the carrier unobstructed, and also that the double hinging enables the lid to be inserted like a cork or plug into the end of the carrier, fitting down snugly on the conical seat 0, and thus facilitating the making of a water-tight joint. During the opening and closing of the lid the handle H must be moved to a position which will,'acting through the pin H, eccentric I, and plate J, Withdraw the bolts from locking engagement. In this position the handle H, being eccentrically pivoted to the lid, will extend out beyond the walls of the carrier to such an extent as to offer an obstruction to the insertion of the carrier in a pneumatic tube. It is necessary, therefore, not only to lock the lid in place, but to enable the carrier to be inserted in the tube, that the handle should be moved to a position which will shoot the bolts and lock the lid, and owing to the nature of the connection between the lid and the carrier it is obviously impracticable to move the handle to a position which would indicate that the bolts are shot unless the bolts are actually shot and home in the recesses provided for them in the conical seat.

Turning next to the forward end of the carrier, N is a dish-shaped plate secured to the front end of the walls of the carrier in such a way as to form a tight joint therewith, such joint being indicated at N andat N the edge of the plate N being represented as turned over the end of the walls of the carrier. At or near the center of the plate N, I prefer to form a recess N as indicated, and for my special construction I form an opening, as indicated at 92 through the plate.

0 is a socket-piece threaded at its inner end and adapted to pass through the perfo ration n and to be held therein, as by means of a nut 0 The socket-piece is formed with a recess 0 and enlarged at its outer end, as indicated at 0 the enlarged portion having a slot-like passage O leading through its outer face and opening into an enlarged recess 0 which may be of annular form and below which lies an elongated opening 0 into which the opening 0' leads, as shown.

P indicates the shank, so to speak, of a latch-piece, which is formed with a slot P and an elongated head Pfltransversely slotted, as indicated at P U is a spring which is inserted in the opening 0 of the socket-piece and upon which rests the shank P of the latch-piece, P indicating a pin passing through the socketpiece and the slot P of the latch-piece and serving to hold the latch-piece in position, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, against the thrust of the spring U.

S is a shank attached to the under side of a contact-plate S and provided at its inner end with an elongated section S S indicating a longitudinal perforation extending through the contact-plate and shank and preferably made of rectangular form,as indicated.

0 indicates an annular metal plate secured on the portion 0 of the socket-piece,

, as shown in Fig. l, and which serves to support what I will call the end pad of the carrier, which, as shown, is made up of annular disks of leather, as indicated at Q, Q indieating rivets holding the outer end of these disks together, and Q rivets by which they are secured to the plate Between the pad Q and the plate N is a packing of elastic material, such as wool, (indicated at T,) and N indicates a cap-piece secured to the inside of the plate N and forming a tight joint therewith.

It will be obvious that by the construction described the outer end of the carrier is made elastic, so as to yield to any shock to which it may be exposed by impact, while at the same time the interior of the carrier is protected from the entry of any water through the elastic head by the tight joint formed between the plate N and the walls of the carrier and the tight cap N extending over the perforated center of the plate N What I have referred to as the contactplate is a device for making electrical contact with devices used in connection with the pneumatic-tube system, and I contemplate the use of a series of,contact-plates of differing diameter each adapted to make contact with electrical terminals arranged at different distances from each other at different parts of the system. Consequently it is necessary that the carrier should be readily equipped with a contact-plate corresponding to the particular part of the system to which it is intended to be delivered and that these plates should be readily interchangeable. This can readily be provided for by making the plates S of varying diameter; but preferably I use the plate S simply as a holder for the contact-plate proper, which is indicated at R, formed with a central perforation for the passage of the shank S and with a recess, as indicated at R, for the plate S. Where the plate S is used alone or with the supplemental contact-plate B, it is obvious that it can be inserted in the socket-piece and that the end piece S will on insertion rest against the end piece P of the latch lying transversely across the slot P By pressing the plate S and its attachments inward the latch-piece P P is also pressed inward, and by turning the plate S and its attachments the portion S will assume a position transverse to the perforation O and be engaged by the slot P in the latch-piece, and thus be securely held in position. In order to remove it, it is necessary to insert a key through the opening S pressing the latch down until its slot P is disengaged from the portion S of the contact-plate or contact-platelocating device, whereupon said device may be turned into registry with the slot 0 and withdrawn.

While the particular latching device for con tact-plates which I have shown and described is one at once simple and effective, I believe I am the first to provide an automatic spring latch to engage and hold contact plates in posi tion upon the carrier, and I do not therefore de sire to be understood as limiting myself to the particular mechanism shown except in those claims where its detailed construction is specifically referred to.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end a spring-actuated latching device in combination with a contactplate adapted to be engaged and locked on the front end of the carrier by said latching device.

2. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end a spring-actuated latching device in combination with a contact plate adapted to be engaged and locked on the front end of the carrier by said latching device, and a keyhole leading to the latching device whereby a key can be inserted to unlock it.

3. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end an opening for the insertion of the shank of a contact-plate and a spring-actuated latch adapted to engage said shank in combination with a contact-plate having a shank adapted to enter said opening and engage said latch, and a keyhole formed through it whereby a key can be inserted to disengage the latch.

4. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end a socket, as O 0 having an elongated opening 0 circular space 0 and springchamber 0, in combination with a latch P having a head P lying in space 0 and slot P formed in said head to lie transversely to the opening 0 a spring arranged to press said latch outward, a contact-plate and a shank S having a cross-piece S at its end for securing the plate in the socket as de scribed.

5. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end a fixed plate N forming a tight joint with the sides of the carrier and formed with a perforation 12 in combination with a socket O 0 extending through said perforation and secured to the inside of the plate N as by nut 0 an end pad as Qsecured to the outer end of the socket, an elastic padding T between the end pad and the plate N, and a tight cap N secured on the inside of the plate N as and for the purpose specified.

6. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having a conical lid-seat in combination with a lid having a conical flange as F with outwardly-extending packing-retaining flanges F F and an elastic packing-ring situated on flange F between flanges F F a hinge-bar as E and hinges E, E connecting said bar with the side of the carrier and with the lid respectively.

7. Alid forpneumatic carriershavingasubstantially-central pivot, as K, in combination with a plate J pivoted thereon at one end and having a series of bolts M M, &c., pivotally connected thereto and a slot as J formed in the other end of plate J, a pin H secured eccentrically to the lid so as to turn therein, an eccentric I secured on said pin so as to lie in and engage slot J and a handle H secured to said pin H as described and so as to lie within the periphery of the carrier only when turned to a position in which the bolts M M, &c., are shot.

8. A lid for pneumatic carriers having outwardly-extending walls F and a substantiallycentral pivot, as K, in combination with a plate J pivoted thereon at one end and having a series of bolts M M, &c., pivotally connected thereto and a slot as J formed in the other end of said plate J, a pin H secured eccentricall y to the lid so as to turn therein, an eccentric I secured on said pin so as to lie in and engage slot J and a spring-handle H se cured to said pin H as described and so as to lie within and below the periphery of the walls F only when turned to a position to shoot the bolts M M, &c.

BIRNEY C. BATGHELLER.

Witnesses:

D. STEWART, CHAS. F. MYERS. 

